Community | April 11, 2009 | 4 comments

Oil Companies Buying the Colorado River

source: http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_11945056

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Oil companies have amassed more than 250 water rights for oil-shale development, giving them a key share of the flow of the Colorado River and the White River, according to a Western Resource Advocates study.

Many of the water rights are also more senior than those held by Front Range water suppliers, and that could hamper plans to bring more water over the mountains for towns and cities, the study said.

"Large-scale oil-shale development could create problems for us and other users," said Denver Water manager Chips Barry.

Six oil companies have filed for 7.2 million acre-feet of water rights on the Colorado and White rivers — equal to the entire allocation for the Upper Colorado River Basin.

The companies also control 104 agricultural irrigation ditch companies in the region, the Boulder-based environmental law center found.

Oil companies "have cornered the market" on the Western Slope water rights, said Karin Sheldon, Western Resource Advocates executive director.

Harris Sherman, the director of the state Department of Natural Resources, said "oil shale could be a game changer," and the state's role is to balance the need for water for energy development with the state's other needs.
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4 comments // Oil Companies Buying the Colorado River

  • Inofuilwell
    • 0
      Inofuilwell  

    • In Texas, T. Boone Pickens owns so many acres of underground water rights to the Edwards Aquiver, he could cause drought conditions in "downstream" limestone formations that supply much of rural Texas' well water and crop irrigation sources.

      There is just something sacred about fresh water, air and rain forests. They should never be "owned" by anyone or anything unless it is the world at large.

    • 2 years ago
  • ras_menelik
    • 0
      ras_menelik  

    • Six oil companies have filed for 7.2 million acre-feet of water rights on the Colorado and White rivers — equal to the entire allocation for the Upper Colorado River Basin.

      they are going to mix more water and oil than Exxon Valdez WITH permits!

    • 2 years ago
  • 02
    • 0
      02  

    • We need to have real government in this country.

      We have bought off government now.

      We need a revolution, of sorts to get back to the Constitution.

    • 2 years ago
  • pjacobs51
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